Malaria

Malaria is an infection characterised by fever, shivering, chills, malaise, headache and sweats, but it can present as a respiratory or gastrointestinal illness. It is caused by any of four different species of the Plasmodium parasite, passed on via the bite of an infected mosquito. Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is life threatening. Infants, the elderly and those with comprised immunity may be at greater risk. The incidence of malaria is on the rise, with around 220 million new infections worldwide every year. Australia is free of endemic malaria, but Australians can catch the disease when travelling to tropical regions in Asia, Africa, and Central or South America. Most Australian cases of malaria are contracted in Papua New Guinea. Effective treatment relies on early diagnosis and specific anti-malarial medications.

Symptoms of malaria include:

• A slow rising fever that escalates to a rapid temperature rise and fall
• Headache
• Nausea
• Chills
• Shivering
• Excessive sweating
• Diarrhoea
• General malaise
• Anaemia and associated symptoms.

Avoid mosquito bites:

• Avoid outdoor activity around dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear loose, long, light-coloured clothing.
• Use mosquito repellents on exposed skin and clothing.
• Don't wear perfumes, colognes or aftershave.
• Use 'knockdown' sprays, mosquito coils and plug-in vaporising devices indoors.
• Sleep under mosquito nets treated with repellents or insecticides if you don't have fly-wire screens on windows.